Over Protected
by primed-pandemonium
Summary: She was so perfect. Even when she pulled the trigger, she looked so shy, so cute, so vulnerable, so confused. Even when she practically took my life away...I still loved her. But  now she's gone...I'M gone. Forever. And she's up next. ShunxAlice
1. Prologue

_**-this-is-a-line-**__NOTE TO ALL YOU READERS OF THE OTHER CHAPTER!-__**this-is-also-a-line- **_

**So (EXCUSES ALERT!) I was getting really annoyed with my other chappie since I redid it, but for some apparent reason fanfiction DID NOT want to replace chapters (kept calling the story invalid and not showing up and blah blah all that crapola.) So here you are again, the lovely prologue, remastered with a brand spanking new opening scene and all in 3****rd**** person! ENJOY!**

P R O L O G U E

_The Zen Club…_

_The man…_

_Dark…_

_Dark…_

_Dark…_

Jenny jerked awake, head and heart pounding. She cautiously opened an eye, but didn't dare move. There was a man in the corner, completely masked, methodically laying out tools. A bucket, a plaster knife, a _scalpel_…

_Oh god…_

She slowly pulled herself up, and grasped for the wall to keep her steady. Carefully…quietly…silently…she creeped up the stairs.

_One…safe…_

_Two…safe…_

_Three…CREEEAKK!_

Jenny broke into a dash up the stairway, but only to find herself thrown down by the rocking of waves. She was on a boat, and there was no escape. The man was now at the top of the stairs, and Jenny had a feeling that behind the mask, somebody was getting very angry…

Then he pounced on her. The world began to spin around her, and she looked down at her arm to see a long syringe sticking out of her arm. She pulled it out, but it was too late…she fell right into the masked man's open arms, still awake but unable to move. He carried her limp body back down the steps and laid her out on a table. He grabbed the back of her head and stroked a bit of her reddish purple hair.

"You look just like her…_JUST LIKE HER_…" He grasped her hair tighter and tighter, then let go, letting her head hit back down on the wood. He looked into her terrified eyes and whispered… "But that's not all bad. You're beautiful, and I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to show the world your true face…"

With that, he dipped the plaster knife into the bucked and began making a smooth, careful layer over her perfect features. Jenny's wide eyes were going even wider (A/N: If that's even possible…) as he covered her mouth and nose, but she couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. She laid still, dead eyes pointing skyward.

"NO!" He threw the knife in frustration, and it landed with a clatter across the room. The masked man gripped his head in his hands. It still wasn't right.

Why was the mask never right?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So? Are you going to do it?" Chan gently pushed, trying to hide the impatience in her voice, trying not to lose the professional tone she was told to use…and failing. On the other end of the line, Alice could almost see Chan's eyes narrowing with irritation. As if that was helping her make the decision!

"…I'm not so sure if that would be a good idea…" Alice looked down at her feet automatically. It was an old habit, and she had self-consciously tried to avoid eye contact with Chan…over the phone.

"You'll get to see Shu-un~" Chan taunted, hoping (and knowing) that would seal the deal. "Look, Alice, we really want you here. You'd be a great addition to the team!"

Alice dug the toe of her shoe into the ground, not wanting to admit that it would be heaven to work with and see Shun every...second…of the day. "But…" she dropped her voice down to a low whisper, even though nobody was around. "The name…Protectors of Other's Rights and Natures? Do you realize what that could be abbreviated to…? P-O-R-"

Chan shrugged and quickly cut Alice off. "Just a coincidence. I didn't come up with the name, anyway. Ask Dan." She looked down at the gold nail polish on her thumbnail, and picked at it for a second. The other line remained silent, but Chan knew Alice was still there. She was obviously not pleased with the answer, but too nice to admit it. "Personally, I don't care much for the name either. You can just be 'Protector' if you'd like, it sounds better to me."

Alice sighed, her voice containing its usual nervous and uncertain edge. "Okay…I'll do it. For you all."

"Welcome to the team, Alice," Chan said, trying to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. But right after Alice out the receiver down, Chan jumped up, letting all the excitement out in one huge burst of energy.

"YES!" she shouted, fist pumping the air. "DAN! Get over here! I finally got Alice!"

"Hey Dan, could you fax this to…" Runo trailed off and sweatdropped as she watched Chan and Dan (rhyme alert!) doing a happy dance around head quarters . "What are you guys even doi—you know, I'm not even going to ask."

Dan and Chan (another rhyme alert!) weren't listening, though, and had somehow even gotten Fabia to join in, who along with Chan added in some ninja moves and kicks. "DANIEL KUSO!" Runo screamed, dragging Dan by the ear out of his happy dance. "Sometimes I can't even remember why I EVEN MADE YOU my boyfriend!" She hit repeatedly him with a huge package of computer paper until he sulked his way into his office.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alice pointed the gun, hands shaking, but aim careful. She began to look away and shut her eyes, but heard Runo's sharp voice and thought better.

"No no no, Alice! Remember, you're supposed to _watch_ where you shoot." Runo impatiently but gently turned Alice's head straight ahead. "Now try _one more time_."

Alice struggled to keep her eyes open. "You can do it, Alice!" Dan and Julie shouted, breaking her concentration. She took a deep breath and began to aim again, painstakingly slow…

"She's totally into it!" Julie drawled in bubbly awe. "That's so cool, I don't think I'd ever be able to do that!"

Dan wandered over, eyes watching Alice, who was absorbed in her work. He frowned and knitted his eyebrows. "You sure this is a good idea?" he whispered in Runo's ear. "I mean…"

Runo giggled softly. "I know! Alice with a…gun…!" She exploded in silent laughter. "Like Julie said, she's so focused though. It's great that she doesn't go all trigger happy like SOMEONE I KNOW!"

Dan laughed and put his hands behind his head. "I wanna see how this goes." He watched as Alice took the shot and cringed as it pierced the target perfectly, going making a clean circle through the head. Alice fell to her knees. "Agh! I'm so so sorry! Oh no, what have I done? ! I'm not cut out for this kind of work!" Alice ranted on and on, and Runo and Dan walked over to her with amused expressions, their laughter not as silent as before.

"Uh, Alice?" Runo managed between laughs. "You do realize you're apologizing to a CARDBOARD CUTOUT, right?"

"Yes! I mean…wait…" Alice stood up and cautiously approached the figure. She shyly prodded it, and as Runo said, it was obviously cardboard. Alice let out a breath. "Ah…I see…that_ is_ reassuring…But still! What if that was a real person? Would I actually…oh, I don't want to think about it!"

"Relax, Alice," Runo put a hand on Alice's shoulder, and glared at Dan. "DAN HERE will GLADLY take care of things if you don't want to!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shun was hiding in the shadows.

He watched Alice pull the trigger, looking so nervous, so cute, yet so hyper focused. So _perfect._

He smirked.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AUTHOR'S NOTE~ I can totally see Alice poking a cardboard cutout, looking all cutely shy and confused…hehe. Yay, it's a cliffy! But for now it's acknowledgment time! I suppose I'd like to thank my brothers, because I got inspiration for this story while listening to them try and kill each other. It wasn't especially delightful. But…thanks for hating each other's guts? Also thanks to all you ShunXAlice fans, who write awesome fics that get you obsessed with the pairing! Anyway, before this gets too long, I don't own any of these characters or Cause of Death. Interrobangs, signing out!


	2. Chapter 1

Interrobangs: Hey guys! I didn't die!

Shun: *mutters* Unfortunately.

IB: You shaddup, ninja fraud! Sorry it's been SO SO SO SO SO SO long, I went on a CRUISE! I'm writing this on the cruise right now, but there's no internet to submit it on. (8 days and no wifi plus laziness equals A LONG TIME) Anyhow, thank you all for your reviews! Forgot to mention, but this is a crossover between Cause of Death and Bakugan. You don't need to know what Cause of Death is to read this, though! In fact, it's better that you don't because it's basically the Bakugan people with parts of the Cause of Death plot. And before you ask, I can't find the Cause of Death section. I will upload it there if I ever find it! Also, I decided that 3rd person is better, so I redid this chapter! It goes into Alice's POV occasionally, but she's the main character so it's okay. Back to reviews! Funny ^-^ I agree, Alice with a gun…*shudder-laughs*

Alice: *does cute confused face* What about me?

IB: Oh, just reflecting on last chapter's events. Will you do the disclaimer for me, please?

A: Of course! Interrobangs-san doesn't own the characters from Bakugan or Cause of Death, she's just using them. Bye everyone, and enjoy~ *leaves*

IB: Alice with a gun… xD

. . . . . . . . . . . .

C H A P T E R O N E (REDONE [OMG THAT RHYMES…])

-Alice's POV-

"Now, just fill out a few papers here and there for me…" Shun waves his hand towards a tall stack. He looks different than I remember him back in the old days of brawling and saving the world. He still has his signature _ahoge_, but with shorter hair and glasses that make him look too professional. But I know on the inside he's the same. I pick up a pen and begin to fill out the forms, eager to get the job done, and hand him the first packet within minutes. He reads over it, then does the sexy pull-glasses-to-bridge-of-nose-and-tip-head-down-to-view-you- critically. It's a good look for him. "…it seems that you will be working here with me in the lab."

I can't tell if he's pleased or not, but whatever his face means, it makes me feel happy inside. He's just what I've always dreamed for…and more. "Remind me again…why did I go through that training? If I am going to be analyzing data, why do I need to learn how to use a gun?"

"It is in case of emergencies, Alice-san," Why is he acting so formal to me? I'm not sure, but I feel a wave of unease come over me. He waves over towards a room. "In that room, we keep all of our gear, including guns. Remember that, in case we need to spring into action."

By now, I've begun to take brief notes on my hand, which makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. The two of us sweep through the rest of the papers in uncomfortable silence, and it doesn't help that I suck in a breath each time you come across a question about my past, whether it be my mother, father, criminal record, or grandfather. This is quite frequently, and Shun gives me an odd glare. I facepalm, realizing that I probably sound like a hyperventilated moron. Cheeks burning, I hand the stack of paperwork to Shun. I'm glad when Dan bursts in, breaking the awkward quiet that has lingered over my head for the last hour or so.

"Hey, Alice! Glad you joined the team! There's lots of people, most of which you'll know! I have the grand title Detective Dan Kuso—" he points to himself proudly, "As do Runo and Ace. Marucho's the big boss, our Captiain, Fabia and Chan are our lovely Special Agents, Baron and Mira are our trusty officers, and Shun's the forensic specialist! There are way more, but you'll meet them eventually. Of course, you're going to be our Data Analyst," Dan rattles on, and I can't help but laugh. I'm so glad he's back. We finally stop at the lab. "And Shun will be your mentor!"

"_Arigatou, _Shun-sama!" _Two can play at this 'proper' game._

"My pleasure, Alice-kun." _So…now I'm his student, apparently…_ I smile weakly.

"That's Data Analyst, to you," my smile turns a bit of a shy-cocky (A/N: Which is an ADORABLY RARE look!), and for once, I look forward to a big stack of data to sift through.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

-No one's POV-

"You're joking, right?" Fabia yelled into the phone, though the feeling had already dawned on her, and it wasn't in a good way: Marucho wasn't lying. "There's no way…okay, yes, I'll make sure they all know. YES, I'm sorry for yelling. _Arigatou_."

Dan peered over the half-wall separating the rooms at the precinct . "What's going on in there?"

Fabia ran a hand through her dark hair, wondering how she could phrase this without sounding so…blunt. "Dan? Well...you know those old pop star sisters, right?"

"Jenny and Jewels?" Dan questioned, and Fabia replied with a nod. "Yup, I know them. Me and Marucho were big fans when we were younger."

_Dan and Marucho were big fans? _Fabia slowly sunk back into her chair. _That _really _doesn't help the situation…What should I say next? They should really train us with clever ways to deal with situations other than when a guy's pointing a gun at your head…_ Dan's abruptness soon broke Fabia from her thoughts and snapped her back into reality. "What about them?" Dan has turned away from his cubicle and is suddenly in yours.

"Well, you see…" _Might as well just get to the point._ "They're dead."

"Well, people die," Dan shrugged, rolling back and forth in the chair.

"_Dan!_" Fabia groaned, exasperated at the outburst. She turned back towards her desk and continued reviewing evidence, ignoring Dan as he arched an eyebrow. _He knows there is more than what I'm telling him_. "What's coming out from this, Fabia?"

Fabia sighed, pretending to be absorbed in her work. Staring at a few pictures of crime scenes Mira and Baron sent her, she felt uncomfortable. There were dead, familiar bodies, staring eerily at the camera. Their eyes seemed to be staring at her no matter where she moved the picture. She slammed them down, and make a sudden turn towards Dan. "There's a murderer on the loose, Dan. A good one."

"Well, there's nothing we can't handle," Dan grinned, rolling over and patting her shoulder. "This is a perfect opportunity for Alice!"

"You're right, Dan," Fabia felt a wave of guilt crash over her at the lie, but she smiled weakly and turned back to her work. The blank, dead stares of the celebrity girls would not leave her head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alice was late. Not a surprise.

_You know, it wouldn't surprise me if Alice just stopped to admire something,_ Runo groaned, flipping a pigtail over her shoulder. _Like, I don't know, a swirl of creamer in a cup of coffee or a piece of trash blowing in the wind._

She rounded a corner sharply and slowed to a stop. _Well, here it is,_ she looked down at the paper in front of her. She stared down at the sidewalk, trying to ignore the eerie and dissonant sounds echoing throughout the air…

_That's it, _Runo snapped her fingers internally. _Alice is admiring the cracks in the sidewalk. Oh look, that one looks different than the rest! That one goes all the way into the NEXT square of sidewalk! It's a freakin' miracle!_

The thought is rude, Runo knew, and she would never actually _say_ it to Alice. It kept the jarring sounds off her mind for awhile, but they were soon back. Bare tree branches, bent by the wind, crawled along the shingles like a skeleton hand, scratching the windows. The sound was horrible, possibly worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. The distant sound of wind chimes tinkling discordantly combined with the scraping of branches against glass was almost enough to make her leave in itself, but she couldn't. Yet.

To top off the haunted mansion look, the brick on the house was black and the shingles on the roof and windows a deep purple. The sight was unsettling, and going inside was even more so. But Runo sensed that there's a lot of time left on her hands, and a lot worse things that could be happening.

Practically on-cue, a scream pierced the air. It sliced through the heavy wind, and the skeleton hand trees and chimes began to shrink in comparison.

Still no sign of Alice.

Runo slowly slipped in through the huge doors….to be greeted by the chill of a hand on the back of her neck.

. . . . . . . . . . .

IB: Yay, that took way too long to edit! Sorry if it is really awkward in places, it seemed like that to me ^-^"

A: Now I think it's time for high fives~

IB: Yah, let's virtually give chquine-harvinellisse a high five! Thank you so much for not only reviewing and favorite story-ing, but also because your fics rock!*high fives the air awkwardly*

IB: And a high five to all my other reviewers and story favorite-ers! You guys are awesomely awesome! I made a resolution to try and keep up with my stories better, and I've been kinda failing so far xD *high fives the air* okay. This isn't working.

A: *quickly* And that concludes the time taken for high fives!~ Goodbye everyone, and please take a few seconds to review so Interrobangs-san can virtually high five you. It makes me happy when she does that!~

(A/N: Yup, all the italicized words (well, not all of them, just the…odd ones) are—you guessed it—Japanese! –san, -sama, -kun, it's sorta like their equivalent of our Mr, Mrs, miss, sir, professor, etc. If you didn't know, an ahoge is a single strand of hair the sprouts out from the top of the head in an anime character xD Shun was one of the examples, so I decided to use that. _Arigatou _is thank you.)


End file.
